


Monsters and Mana

by rinthegreat



Series: Established Shance in a "Canon"verse [10]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: D&D, Established Relationship, M/M, season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 02:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15985220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinthegreat/pseuds/rinthegreat
Summary: No matter how much Coran tries to sell it, a game that requires a book doesn’t sound fun.





	Monsters and Mana

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by MaryC!

No matter how much Coran tries to sell it, a game that requires a book doesn’t sound fun. Lance likes his games to have a controller, some explosions, and graphics that make him feel like he’s in 1993. But everyone else have gathered to play this Monsters and Mana game. Hell, even Shiro’s playing.

Shiro who can’t seem to look at him for some reason.

So when Allura makes it clear she’s joining, Lance takes the seat next to her and decides he may as well play too. Sure, he could’ve hopped over the back of the couch and sat next to his still-sorta-boyfriend; there’s enough room between Shiro and Coran after all, but Shiro’s too busy frowning at the holographic table to have even noticed Lance’s arrival.

Coran explains the rules to a riveted Allura while Lance pouts at Shiro. Why won’t he just _look_ at him? Things had been getting better, slowly, but everything’s…off. And then on again. And then off again.

“Do you want to play?” Coran asks, clearly excited.

“I dunno,” Lance protests, leaning back. “Don’t you guys have something better to do right now? Like, I don’t know,” he shoots a glare at Shiro, “ _universe_ -defending stuff?”

“Hunk and I ran into a snag upgrading the castle’s shields,” Pidge tells him. “We’re running a diagnostic, but all we can do is wait.”

“And I’m trying to take a mental break,” Shiro adds, finally – _finally_ – looking at Lance. “We’ve been going really hard lately.” It’s not an innuendo, Lance _knows_ Shiro doesn’t mean it intentionally, but it tricks a smile out of Lance regardless.

“Yeah. Yeah, I already worked out today,” Lance adds, and that _is_ an innuendo, “so I guess I don’t have anything going on. Might as well play your little nerd game.”

And it is fun. It’s crazy fun. It’s more fun than a game involving books and dice should be. Shiro can’t seem to keep his character alive for more than five minutes, Pidge and Hunk seem determined to lead the group on the quest they want to go on, and Allura keeps shooting magical arrows that heal when they stab the other characters, and Lance is having actual fun.

So when everyone else leaves Lance, Shiro, and Coran alone, he’s game to play another round. That is, until Shiro declares he wants to be a paladin again.

\---

They get sucked into another adventure as Jiro and Pike, falling into easy banter and semi-flirting as if everything's perfectly fine between them. Coran sends the two of them on an adventure to rescue some jewels that had been stolen from some princess for some reason (Lance hadn't been paying attention to the setup if he's being completely honest). Shiro starts off the mission just as focused on the goal as they had been on the last one, but it doesn't take much for Lance to derail the entire game.

The two of them get side tracked every time Pike decides to steal something – which is every time Coran mentions something shiny – and Jiro pretends like he doesn't notice what Pike's doing. Lance knows he's pretending because Shiro cocks a grin at him every time Lance rolls for sleight-of-hand, and Lance pretends like his stomach doesn't flip over itself when he meets Shiro's eyes.

Eventually, they get so off the track of the adventure that Allura calls for Coran over the intercom. “Coran, Lotor and I need your assistance in the hangar deck,” Allura declares.

Coran looks up from the book he'd been frowning at since Lance had asked how much it would cost them to buy the bar, obviously relieved. “Coming, princess.” He closes the book with a snap. “Well, boys, it looks like we'll just have to finish this later.” He shuts off the table with a flip of a switch and swipes their character decks out of their hands.

“Hey,” Lance protests.

“I'm sure you'll find plenty to entertain yourselves with while I'm gone,” Coran remarks. “The cryopods could use some cleaning, if you want to get your cleaning stripes.” He sweeps out, taking all the pieces of the game with him, leaving Lance and Shiro alone with the mice.

Now that Coran is gone, taking the jovial mood along with him, there's nothing to disguise the tension between them. A heavy silence falls over the room.

Part of Lance wants to be petty and say something like _'oh I see; you just talk to me while we play silly games'_ but he's more mature than that, so he swallows the urge. “Well,” he says instead, standing up. “This has been fun, but I have to -”

Thankfully, he never has to figure out what exactly he has to do, because Shiro cuts him off. “We should talk.”

Lance sighs, flopping back onto the couch. “About what?” He knows damn well about what.

Shiro knows that too, because he levels Lance with a _look_. “About us,” he replies a little condescendingly.

At that, Lance's anger flares. “You know,” he starts, “if you want to break up with me you really should just do it. This on-again-off-again thing is pretty immature of you.”

“I don't want to break up, Lance.”

“Then maybe you should actually spend time with me outside of the bedroom, rather than pretending I don't exist.”

“If this is about Lotor -”

“This is about _way_ more than Lotor, Shiro, and you know it.” Lance crosses his arms. Yeah, he's pissed, but he thinks he has every right to be. After all, they'd been _fine_ just a few minutes ago. A distraction from reality had been all it took for Shiro to stop acting like Lance only half-existed and flirt with him again.

The way they had before.

Shiro sighs. “I know I haven't been myself -”

“No,” Lance agrees easily. “You haven't.”

Shiro glares at him. “Will you let me speak for a second?” When Lance doesn't interrupt again, he goes on. “I don't want to break up with you, Lance. I didn't before, and I don't now. I just...” he trails off, running his hand through his hair. “I need to figure some things out still, and it doesn't seem fair to make you have to deal with that.”

Lance softens a little at the words. “That's what being in a relationship _is_ , Shiro. It's about being there for each other. Even when it's hard.”

But Shiro shakes his head, faraway look in his eyes. “It's not always that simple.” There seems to be more to his words, meaning behind them that Lance can't catch, but Shiro leaves it at that.

“You can't,” Lance swallows. “You can't expect me to wait around for you forever.” He's pretty sure he would; Lance can't imagine himself not falling back with Shiro if Shiro were to ask. But he doesn't think that's a good trait to advertise. It makes him seem more desperate than he wants to appear, even if it's true.

“I know,” Shiro agrees softly. “It isn't forever. I promise. I have...a feeling that I'll figure out whatever this is soon enough.”

Lance raises an eyebrow. “A feeling?”

Shiro shrugs. “Puzzle over a problem long enough and you're bound to reach the answer, right?” he smiles at Lance for a second, but the emotion isn't there to keep his smile in place, and instead it drips off his face. “I really do love you, Lance.” The words will never cease to make Lance's heart flip over in his chest. “Please, just...bear with me for a little longer.”

He shouldn't agree. This half-relationship between the two of them isn't healthy. This staying the night in the same bed only to ignore each other during the day thing isn't good for either of them. It isn't good for the team, even if the other three paladins and Coran are doing a great job of pretending nothing's wrong and letting Lance and Shiro figure their own issues out.

“Okay,” Lance breathes.

Shiro smiles at him, sliding across the couch and planting a chaste kiss on Lance's cheek. “I'm going to check in on Allura and Lotor. Want to join?”

“I'd...” Lance thinks about the princess and new emperor making moon-eyes at each other and winces. “I'd rather not.”

Shiro shrugs as if to say _suit yourself_ before slipping off the couch and heading out. The mice hop up onto the table, four sets of eyes staring at him far too knowingly for his taste.

“Keep it a secret, okay?” Lance requests. “Shiro doesn't need anyone else attacking him over his issues.”

The mice squeak at him incomprehensibly before scampering off the table. “I mean it!” Lance calls after them, getting up as they race through the crack in the door. “Not even Allura!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> There are things I can't say on here, so in decreasing order of what I use, please check out my socials:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rinthegreat_ao3)  
> [Tumblr](https://rinthegreat.tumblr.com/)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rinthegreat/)


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